words Al Woods
When a child lives with their parents who happen to provide them with immense love and care, they usually end up happy and psychologically stable. However, they are the first to suffer when parents decide to go their separate ways or file for a divorce. In such cases, children tend to get lost in a sea of complicated procedures like custody and court visits without even realizing what is happening.
Yet, they sense that something terrible is creating a rift in their family. One of the things that complicate the situation of separated couples or divorced parents is child support; some of them often try to ignore it or avoid it while others don’t even know what it is.
If you’re a parent who has recently gone through a divorce or knows someone who has, keep reading since we will discuss 6 important facts about child support that you should be aware of.
1 What Is It?
Usually, when children live with their parents, they get all the financial support they need, but when parents get separated, they go through some legal documents and court visits to decide which parent will be responsible for child support. In most cases, the parent who has custody of the child is the one who covers child support. The other parent, however, is asked to participate in providing the child’s expenses to help the custodial parent. These expenses include day-to-day expenses like food, clothes, housing, and educational fees.
2 How Much Should a Parent Pay?
Many factors decide how much the custodial parent has to pay and how much the other parent will participate with. The first thing that should happen is that the parents should seek legal help and hire attorneys to assist them and supervise all legal documents and agreements. The expert attorneys at https://btlfamilylaw.com/services/child-support/ stress that the first aspect to look at in terms of child support is income. Each parent should present proof of their monthly income so that the court can decide which parent should be responsible for child support. The other parent with the lower income is demanded to help as well but with a smaller amount of money.
3 How Long Should Child Support Last for?
Child support should cover children’s needs until they become independent and able to support themselves financially, which is typically at the age of 18. In some cases, the support can stop before the child turns 18 or even continue after that; it can last longer if the child is still studying. Sometimes, though, child support could just end at the age of 16 if the child gets married or if they declare that they don’t need it because they have their own income. When the child has a job, the judge puts their income into consideration alongside their parents’ as well.
4 What about Children with Special Needs?
In case the child has special educational or health needs, they get supported for longer. These cases require the parent with health insurance to cover the child expenses, demanding the other parent to participate in these expenses as well by reimbursing the custodial parent or the parent who has health insurance.
5 Who Else Can Pay Child Support?
Many people think that child support is only meant for parents, but that is not true. Any party who is responsible for raising the child could have the right to ask for child support. A lot of children get raised by their grandparents, aunts, stepmoms, stepdads who can claim child support from parents if they’re still committed to taking care of the child and willing to regard them as family, especially in the case of stepmoms and dads.
6 What about Biological Fathers?
Some men think that they can shirk their responsibilities, ditching the mother and child. Thanks to courts, judges, and attorneys, a child’s financial rights are well-protected. A biological parent is obligated to pay his child’s expenses even if he did not have a relationship with the mother or did not get to see the child. If the biological father claims that he is not the real father, the court can demand him to have a blood or DNA test to find out the truth.
The children who have to suffer the consequences of their parents’ troublesome divorce might end up with a lot of issues like depression, low self-confidence, and other personality disorders. It’s wise that parents handle child support immediately after divorce along with custody to be psychologically ready to raise the child properly in a stable environment where there are no standing issues between them. That’s why you should read carefully the above information before going through a divorce to guarantee a happy life for your kids.
